It is not all subjective

My Ann Arbor beer buddy, and retired University of Michigan Professor, Charles Butter, PhD recently launched “Crossing Cultural Borders: Universals in Art and Their Biological Roots.” But don’t let the academic titles deter you. Charlie’s book is as accessible as a Corona on Cinco de Mayo: easy to digest, fun, and some nice twists.

The book talks art, but everything is applicable to design: what we prefer and why. He talks about balance, emotions, and ornamentation—my favorite. Charlie explains why the mind prefers variety in unity, which is to say we are attracted to what we know and like, but there has to be enough variation to keep us interested.

Scientific American Mind has a similar feature in its latest issue called “Thinking by Design.” Here we learn that people prefer:

• Big objects to small ones

• Round forms to sharp ones

• Symmetry

• Prototypes as the most attractive, but “average” examples can easily bore us, which gets back to Charlie’s “variety in unity.”

• More novelty within an area of expertise–less so with nonspecialists (an argument for knowing your audiences)

• Looks…at the beginning, but visual appeal is less important after a month of ownership. This is a reminder for businesses to play up the non-visual aspects of their products to help combat buyer’s remorse, or a consumers doubts after a purchase.

All of this is to say the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it is not as subjective as we might think, or want, it to be.

Humor is attention-getting, memorable—and persuasive

It’s the funny ads that go viral. And funny ads regularly clean up the Clio awards, advertising’s Oscars. Marketers have always relied on humor, but now brain science is helping us understand why it works so well—and how best to use it.

The human response to humor runs deep. Babies laugh before they talk, by about 4 months, and they go nuts for what researchers call the “safe surprise.” Think peek-a-boo, which one psychology professor deems “the archetype … of all humor.”

Most types of humor take advantage of incongruity—a form of surprise—to one degree or another (as some rather dry and unfunny analyses of humor in advertising show). Think punch line. A part of the brain called the amygdala, which plays a key role in the processing and memory of emotional reactions, is especially sensitive to the unexpected. EEGs show that incongruity stimulates the amygdala, as well as the temporoparietal junction, which is involved in detecting novelty.

So for starters, humor gets our attention. I’ve written about what an accomplishment that is. And humorous material is easier to remember. But further, as the brain tries to solve the “problem” of the incongruity between the punch line and the expectation shaped by the lead-up, it’s actually stunned for a moment. Its cognitive security system goes down, leaving us more open to suggestion. In other words, more open to being marketed to.

That’s why, as an article in the March/April issue of  Scientific American Mind put it, “The persuasive power of humor is second to none.” And why the best jokes—for laughs and for marketing—are the ones we don’t see coming.

Tips for using humor in marketing:

1. The more unexpected/incongruous the punch line, the more persuasive the ad.

2. It’s easier to develop incongruity with video/TV than with print, which doesn’t give you audio or dynamic interplay of characters.

3. As always, know your audience. What’s funny to one audience is offensive to another.

Here are some examples of humor in advertising. High incongruity is one reason some are more memorable than others.

• Old Spice 1 and Old Spice 2

• Danier Leather

• Some very creative print ads and billboards

• Clio winners, many of which use humor

The brain loves shortcuts

Enter…Green Lantern
I was never a huge fan of superheroes, though I did read some Green Lantern. More recently, I just took the online superhero personality quiz, which pegged me as…Green Lantern.

Let’s go with this. Let’s say I’m Green Lantern. First, I’d show off my washboard abs for my lady. (Grrrrr…I’ll rescue you later, baby.) Then I’d put that magic ring to good use in my field of work: I’d simplify all the overwrought marketing we see each day.

Most companies don’t practice simplicity.
Face it, we are a nation not just of physical hoarders, but we also suffer from a glut of messages. Study after study shows that consumers prefer simplicity. Less is truly more, but so many companies still practice “more is more”: long headlines, lots of copy, loads of poor quality photos, and so on.

Preaching simplicity is not a new message, but it is an important one, and it is becoming even bigger in the world of science.

Enter…Cognitive Fluency
The big new thing in psychology is “cognitive fluency,” or measuring how easy it is to think about something. Indeed, people prefer things that are easier to think about to those that are hard.

The brain’s basic rule is “easy to swallow, easy to follow.” Like other heuristics—or mental rules of thumb—cognitive fluency is an adaptive shortcut. According to psychologists, it helps us quickly focus limited mental resources in a world full of distractions.

What is cool about cognitive fluency is not the basic premise, but the surprising extent to which it controls our thinking and decision-making. For example, studies show that shares in companies with easy-to-pronounce names significantly outperform those with hard-to-pronounce names. Consider that one of the best stock tips you will ever receive.

A study done by University of Michigan psychologists Hyunjin Song and Norbert Schwarz shows similar results. They found that the fussier the font (Brush vs. Times) the more complicated participants judged the information, even when the information—in this case a recipe—was the same. In other words, non-substantive changes can make all the difference.

Tips
Of course, the most persuasive companies and people already know this. To a great degree, they instinctively make things clear and simple. But not everybody has such powers. The rest of us have to learn it, and keep working at it. Like they say, making something simple takes a lot of work. While you are working at it, keep these tips in mind:

• Complexity is like a spice. Use it sparingly and people will be more likely to follow you. Use too much and they are likely to judge your message too complicated to bother with.

• You can foster simplicity. People will mirror back what you present. As Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank You for Arguing, and past magazine editor points out, if you give your readers short, sweet, and witty materials, you will get short, sweet, witty letters.

• Whatever you now have written for your next Web site, ad, brochure, or whatever, cut in half. Seriously, edit out fifty percent. This was brutal advice that I had to follow when shortening my wife’s book. It was hard, but the book is all the better for it.

Oh, and if your company name is more complicated than your competition’s name, simplify it. Your stock could actually go up.

Now … where is my wife?

Chime in: What simplicity tips can you offer? Or, what superhero are you?

Why we say we can predict anything … after the fact

Creativity needs room to breathe. There is no faster way to suffocate imagination than negative comments such as “I’ve seen that before” and “That’s not new.” Likewise, when a project doesn’t go well, somebody usually chimes in with “You should have seen that coming,” implying that they did but didn’t want to say anything.

Where exactly do these comments come from? No, “jerks” is not exactly the source I’m referring to. They are the result of “hindsight bias,” our human tendency to view things as much more predictable than they actually are—when considering events after they happened. In other words, it is Monday morning quarterbacking.

The hindsight bias is scarily powerful. In a classic study, subjects responded with “I would have predicted that” to comments that directly contradicted one another. Also, people will incorrectly remember their own predictions depending on the outcome of an event. For example, before an ad campaign, a manager may have anticipated an 80 percent success rate. But if the campaign fails, he is likely to recall having given it a lower chance of success.

Lastly, we are more likely to exhibit hindsight bias when it works in our favor, and less likely to show it when it works in favor of others. In other words, you always knew you would succeed, and you always knew that others wouldn’t. As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20.

What possible good could come from such a bias? We evolved to learn from our mistakes, even if that means rewriting history. Hindsight is how we update previous assumptions. Despite being told that assuming “only makes an ass out of you and me,” we are built to do it. At least our assumptions can become more nuanced and refined over time/as we age. Unfortunately, the cost may involve ignoring the truth and stepping on others’ toes.

An understanding of the hindsight bias can help you plan marketing. Remember these points:

1.    Be suspicious of post hoc (after the fact) explanations of why, for example, your campaign was or was not successful. They are usually examples of hindsight bias rather than accurate assessments.
2.    Work with your marketing team to gauge the probable success of different marketing scenarios, both good and bad. Pretend it is the end of your campaign, and assume that the campaign did not work. Then explain why it failed. Next, assume that it did was successful, and work backwards to create the campaign that will lead to those precise results. This is using hindsight before the fact. This helps deflate later hindsight bias, and makes assessment more objective. The best part is that you are actually creating foresight out of hindsight. This is a great way to predict potential trouble spots before you launch a campaign/before you make a decision.
3.    Acknowledge that you are susceptible to hindsight bias. To counteract this, get outside advice before making decisions. The hindsight bias favors us responding to areas in which we previously have been successful. For example, if you’ve had a lot of luck with radio, you are less likely to consider other ad venues, even if they show success. Or the bias can cause interviewers to reject job applicants who have succeeded in areas new to the interviewers.
4.    Employees benefit from constant and continual feedback. Don’t expect them to self-correct. Studies show that knowledge can remain unchanged without feedback. Employees might not give you credit for their growth—hindsight bias will make them believe they improved themselves—but who cares? The important thing is that they will become better employees.
5.    Don’t let hindsight bias get in the way of creative thinking. Don’t allow others to pooh-pooh ideas as “obvious” or “unoriginal.” All ideas should be on the table until proven unworkable.

Rocking the boat actually brings smoother sailing

You may be surprised, but I’ve often felt that consultants are overrated. What they give—a binder of good suggestions—doesn’t always  justify the fee. But often consultants can provide something no insider can: a new perspective. A consultant’s success may have less to do with their product than their simple presence. This is because newcomers, studies show, shake up an organization’s harmony just enough to introduce a greater level of productivity.

Groups—such as those in your company, school, or nonprofit—naturally steer toward harmony. It may not always feel harmonious, but maintaining group harmony is a human tendency we all share. That is usually all well and good, but it can become a liability.

A recent issue of Scientific American Mind reports that researchers at Northwestern University found that newcomers do far more than introduce new ideas. They also foster more and better thinking from employees. This is especially true when the outsider agrees with some, but not all, existing group members.

Success happens because outsiders force insiders to use our brains more. We must analyze what we believe, articulate what we mean, and question what we assume. We can’t simply fall back on group dynamics, such as doing whatever the leader says. Can interaction with outsiders be seen as a threat to the group? Yes, but it also facilitates better decision-making.

What’s true of consultants and other outsiders applies to new hires as well. Research coauthored at Brigham Young University found that better decisions come from teams that include a “socially distinct newcomer. That’s psychology-speak for someone who is different enough to bump other team members out of their comfort zones.” Study coauthor Katie Liljenquist of BYU’s Marriott School of Management says “the mere presence of a newcomer who is socially distinct can really shake up the group dynamic. That leads to discomfort, but also to a better process that ultimately yields superior outcomes.”

Tips

• Remind your group that newcomers and outsiders are an asset. You may think this is obvious, but it isn’t. Liljenquist reminds us that most people believe harmonious groups are more effective than they really are. The first step toward success is getting group members to rethink this false assumption.

• An outsider can be an insider to your organization, but from a different department.

• Discuss this “shake-’em-up to produce new ideas” dynamic with a consultant before hiring; then use it to your advantage. Have the consultant prod and encourage dissent, where appropriate.

Remember, creating a homogenous group might be comforting to the group, but it will not make the best decisions about serving clients, customers, and students. Rocking the boat a bit will actually lead to smoother sailing.

Podcast: Synaptic Branding 003: A World of Inspiration

The 10,000 hour rule, dating other cultures, and creativity

I grew up drawing and painting. With my grandmother’s intervention, I even had the opportunity to have my work critiqued by Andrew Wyeth. Andy’s advice: if you want to be good, you just have to put in your time. He was so right. Studies have resulted in the 10,000-hour rule, which has been heavily promoted by Malcolm Gladwell. Researchers now tell us that regardless of innate intelligence or talent, the most critical factor to success is putting in time—10,000 hours of time to be specific.

But when it comes to boosting your creative powers, place is as important as time, and from my own experience place means living abroad. Studies have shown that living overseas—not just traveling—improves creative thinking. The truth was that my artwork waned in the few years after spending time with Andy. And then I left for the Peace Corps. I had tossed some art supplies into my duffle as an afterthought. For months they sat untouched. Then I picked up the pencil and brushes and I couldn’t stop.

What happened?

William W. Maddux, of INSEAD and Adam D. Galinsky of Northwestern University conducted the studies that showed a direct correlation between living abroad and being creative. Their lead hypothesis is that adaption is the key to sparking creativity. They write:

“Because culture is such a pervasive force, impacting and shaping every aspect of one’s life, adapting oneself to a new culture—learning how to behave and think in different way [sic]—may make individuals chronically aware of multiple perspectives and approaches when dealing with mundane and novel situations and, thus, may be associated with increased creativity.”

What is not clear is how long this creative shot-in-the-arm lasts. That will be the focus of Maddux and Galinsky’s next work. My artwork of Mali has sustained me for two decades.

Nevertheless, if you believe that creativity can help your organization, you could do well to think international. My experience has been that ANY experience that gets you out of your environment and thinking a different way is helpful. The key is that it takes time, and is not a product of a few exercises. This can include learning a language. Find a new topic to study, and take night classes. Volunteer. Imagination requires that you get out of your routine, and our culture is about the biggest routine going. You can love your culture, but when it comes to fostering creativity, it helps to date around. Investigate hiring people from outside of the US, or people who grew up in two cultures (i.e., immigrants and children of immigrants) for creative positions. Lastly, if you ever get the chance outside our culture—go for it. Take it from Maddux, Galinsky and me, you and your business will never regret it.